In searching through my photo archive, I am finding a lack of orange flower photos in 2024. In fact, this photo of my California poppies is the only photo I can find.

Fun fact: did you know when the first settlers arrived in California, they saw the orange poppies blooming at the mountainside. It was so stunning they looked like gold.

Perhaps, it was the optimism these settlers needed.

Poppies are notorious self-seeders though. I didn’t plant a single poppy seed this year and yet, they’re everywhere, even on my lawn. As beautiful as they are, they only bloom and grow in cool weather (aka now in autumn). In the last week or so, more of them have started popping up in the garden again. Since the season is almost over, I just let them. What harm is there if they don’t flower?

This photo is now one of my all-time favorite sunflower photos. I just love how the sunflower is tilted toward the sun as the sun calls it a day and sinks below the horizon.

After losing so many sunflowers to the wind this year, I will be changing my tactics next year. No more volunteer multi-branching sunflowers in 2025.

Instead, I’m growing dwarf sunflowers. I got seeds for a Teddy bear variety that supposedly will only get to about 3 feet. I need something with structure, something that the wind won’t destroy.

I’m also thinking of growing amaranth next year. I’ll have to grow a pair of them together since it looks like there’s safety in numbers.

Inspired by SundayStills